The Promise and Peril of Environmental Justice

Environmental justice blends the emotionally and politically potent issues of environment and race. Its proponents argue that minority populations are the victims of policies that imperil or harm their health by foisting industrial plants and waste sites on their neighborhoods. In his book, Chris Foreman credits leaders of the environmental justice movement with identifying and exploiting a central organizing issue. But he questions whether the environmental justice movement addresses real health issues and whether its emphasis on risks from environmental exposure diverts the attention of minority communities from more important health concerns. His book has engendered strong reaction across the spectrum of environmental and civil rights organizations.